Longlisted for the Women's Fiction Prize, this book has been appearing in lots of social media posts and press articles. All the reviewers were enthusiastic about it, so I was intrigued.

And I have to add my excitement for it too. It's fantastic! Original, atmospheric, puzzling, you never quite know what's happening with each turn of the page.

A woman is washed ashore in the worst storm in living memory. She's travelled to the island of Shearwater to reach her husband who has been working here as part of a team monitoring the world's largest seed vault.

Rowan is nursed back to health Dominic Salt and his three children who are caretakers of the island. She discovers that the researchers have all fled and only this family remains.

Rising sea water has made the island no longer safe for life or the seed vault. The Salts are due to leave in a few weeks' time, but they have lost communication with the outside world due to sabotage.

Rowan discovers more and more facts about the family and their existence on Shearwater which increase her unease and suspicion, but she is also keeping secrets from them.  

I was completely engrossed in this book. The characters were intriguing, the setting was sinister, the sense of foreboding and menace powerful. So many things to explore in terms of grief and loss, abuse and power, mental health issues, trust and betrayal, love and loyalty, as well as climate change and end times. Loved it!